Our communities, our youth: The health of homeless and street-involved youth in BC

“Homeless and street-involved youth are among the most vulnerable populations in Canada and experience significant health inequities. The 2014 Homeless and Street-Involved Youth Survey (HSIYS) captured information from youth living in 13 diverse communities across British Columbia between October 2014 and January 2015.”

Some key findings:

“Youth across British Columbia most commonly first became homeless or street-involved when they were 13 or 14 years old, although more than a quarter (28%) first became homeless at a younger age.

There were gender differences in the reasons youth became homeless. For example, females were more likely to have experienced violence or abuse at home (29% vs. 18% of males), whereas males were more likely to be homeless because they could not find a job (16% vs. 10% of females).”